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If there is one sauce that can help you sail through summer lunches and patio dinners, it's aioli. If you've never made it, you'll be relieved by how easy it is -- get out your whisk and you're half way there.

The following are two versions. The Old Bay Aioli is handy for all fish and shellfish -- i.e. grilled fish, fried calamari, and boiled crab. You can also serve the Preserved Lemon Aioli with any seafood; otherwise, whip up some to go with grilled lamb chops, a burger, roasted vegetables, or a chicken salad. And if you want a plain aioli, then just leave out the preserved lemon in the Preserved Lemon Aioli recipe, and you'll be all set.

Before you get started, here are my Aioli Cardinal Rules:

• Let your egg come to room temperature.

• Find a friend/spouse/child to pour in the oil as you whisk.

• Don't wimp out on the whisking: count it as exercise!

• If your aioli breaks, stop what you're doing. Start a new aioli and whisk the broken aioli into it.

• I mix canola and olive oil because I find all-olive-oil aioli overpowering.

• Always taste aioli at the end and adjust the acid and salt.

• If your aioli is too thick, add a little water to thin it. If it's too thin, you're stuck with it but it will still taste great!

Before starting Food52 with Merrill, I was a food writer and editor at the New York Times. I've written several books, including "Cooking for Mr. Latte" and "The Essential New York Times Cookbook." I played myself in "Julie & Julia" -- hope you didn't blink, or you may have missed the scene! I live in Brooklyn with my husband, Tad, and twins, Walker and Addie.

Comments (33)

Thanks for the link to the coddlers, everyone. I have a weakness for glass containers of any kind. Amanda has exquisite taste. She did a recipe redux column on worcestershire sauce packaged in a swing-top bottle. Thanks to that column, I bought a case of swing-top bottles.

So, I am I the only person who uses an immersion blender to make aioli and mayonnaise? I do like to use a whisk sometimes (just to prove I can do it really) but usually I make aioli with an immersion blender. I've just discovered this wonderful site, and maybe it's considered cheating to use the blender. Everyone seems to be so experienced. Anyway, if you haven't tried it, this is how it works: In the tall container that often comes with the immersion blender, or a large liquid measuring cup (a 4 cup-er) put the egg, mustard, vinegar, salt, garlic, pepper. Pour the oil over the top. Immerse the immersion blender and start blending, pulling the blender upwards. This takes about 2 seconds. Now you should have perfectly thick silky aioli. Now you can make it on a crazy mid-week evening and not break a sweat. (unless of course this short cut is for cheaters)

You're not the only one! I generally do it by hand (I had a few blender mayo disasters), but there's also something nice about the texture of aioli by blender - it gets a bit thicker and more structured.

I know what you mean! Sometimes structured IS nicer. Although once a long time ago, I was served some perfectly poached salmon with hand whisked mayonnaise and those tiny really new potatoes that are so young they're practically embryonic. (their skins were actually transparent) The mayonnaise was about 1/3 olive oil. Since everything was so idyllic - even the setting - a small stone house outside of Oxford in the spring, it was raining - the softly satiny texture of the hand whisked mayonnaise stands out in my mind as the ultimate yet simplest expression of hospitality. So sometimes I whisk even though it takes longer. (Poached whole cod with hand whisked aioli - outside in the summertime)

Ipad autocorrect error: ignore the word 'odes' above, no idea how that happened.

Anyway, I just checked and these guys do ship to Canada and the US. The glass is known as 'Jenaer Glas' after the city in Germany where heat proof glass was first developed.

The company, Manufactum, has a number of retail outlets in several Gemrman cities, I picked a bunch of stuff up the last time I was in Europe - everything they sell is utterly beautiful. They do have a, much smaller, site serving the UK market but it is in English: http://manufactum.co.uk

A friend of mine recently bent my ear about the evils of canola oil. Frankly I spaced out on the details of her rant, except for the part about the word 'canola,' which I guess means Canadian oil. (I'd thought it was the name of some glorious oil-yielding grain.) I'm wondering what oil you would chose as a substitute is you were anti-canola...grapeseed? safflower?

Thanks for these great recipes. I have been making aioli for 30 years now. My first time resulted in great success with a huge batch for a big faculty party...but then I mistakenly tried to serve the aioli in gorgeous copper and brass dishes...well I had to toss it all away, fortunately before anyone could discover the oxidized disaster! Lesson learned.

I really feel like you guys are taunting us with those beautiful little glass pots. I'm filled with jealousy every time you post a photo with one. I love my mayo with 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 walnut oil. It's a really lovely taste, not assertive at all, but calm and slightly savory. I also have been using muscatel vinegar lately. The thing I love the best is that it's not nasty, like store bought mayo. I can't wait to try these aiolis.

Incidentally, I once read a history of the etymology of the word 'mayonnaise' and found that it was believe to have originated, not as the French for "like they do in Mayo (Ireland)", but "like they do in Mahon (Spain)", and was believed to be the creation of a chef to the Spanish royals. I'd love to find out if this is accurate, simply for trivia's sake.

I am so glad you don't like to use all olive oil. I have always made mine with non flavored oil and then add a bit of olive oil so it isn't so overpowering. Old Bay is a great idea and I have been looking for new thoughts on how to use preserved lemon. As always food52 rules.